Dissipative Vesicle Assemblies Driven by Chemical Fuels

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学(MSN)计划的支持下，加州大学圣地亚哥分校的Neal Devaraj教授将开发产生耗散磷脂微囊的化学方法，这些微囊存在于远离平衡的状态，并由化学偶联剂(化学燃料)的提供来驱动和维持。磷脂囊泡，也称为脂质体，是由磷脂双层组成的球形结构，形成一个封闭的容器，可以包裹各种物质，如药物或营养物质。这项工作将研究耗散磷脂组件，这种组件是自组织的动态结构，不断消耗化学燃料的能量来维持其结构和功能。这个项目还将支持创建一个教育推广部分，旨在向科学背景较少的高中生介绍化学和自组装的原理。这个项目将开发和表征耗散类脂组件，并探索化学燃料添加对所产生的超分子结构的形成、化学组成和性质的作用。虽然能源成本高昂，但对化学燃料的依赖可以赋予超分子脂质组件调节形成的结构的大小和形态的能力，以快速响应和适应外部刺激。如果成功，这个项目将使我们能够更好地了解超分子自组装的分子基础，以产生具有可调大小、形状和性质的动态脂质系统。从这些研究中获得的知识也将阐明在脂质系统中维持非平衡组装状态的基本好处和缺点，并将促进构建具有适应行为的功能脂质材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Neal Devaraj of the University of California, San Diego will develop chemistries for generating dissipative phospholipid vesicles that exist far from equilibrium and are driven and sustained by the provision of chemical coupling agents (chemical fuels). A phospholipid vesicle, also known as a liposome, is a spherical structure made up of a phospholipid bilayer, which forms a closed container that can encapsulate various substances such as drugs or nutrients. This work will study dissipative phospholipid assemblies that are self-organized, dynamic structures that continuously consumes energy from chemical fuels to maintain their structure and function. This project will also support the creation of an educational outreach component aimed at introducing the principles of chemistry and self-assembly to high school students with backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences.This project will develop and characterize dissipative lipid assemblies and explore the role of chemical fuel addition on the formation, chemical composition, and properties of the generated supramolecular structures. While energetically costly, dependence on chemical fuel can endow supramolecular lipid assemblies with the ability to regulate the size and morphology of the structures formed to rapidly respond and adapt to external stimuli. If successful, this project will enable us to better understand the molecular underpinnings of supramolecular self-assembly for generating dynamic lipid systems with tunable size, shape, and properties. The knowledge gained from these studies will also shed light on the fundamental benefit and drawbacks of maintaining nonequilibrium assembled states in lipid systems, and will facilitate the construction of functional lipid materials with adaptive behaviors.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.